24 Hours
by MidnightNocturne
Summary: Ike claims he will capture Lyn's heart in one day! What difficuties must he face? Read to find out! Minor pairings as well
1. Chapter 1

Hey, people! I was surfing through some SSB fanfics, and I noticed that there wasn't a single IkexLyn fanfic, so I wrote this! Please enjoy it! Most important of all, PLEASE R&R!!!

Lyn took a few more swings with her kendo sword at the practice dummy before she wiped the sweat off her forehead. She readied her sword once more until she heard a familiar voice.

"Lyn-chan!" Ike called out happily. "I thought that I was the only one who comes here early in the morning."

The swordswoman scowled. "It's Lyndis to you." With that, she went back to training.

As she continuously beat the wooden dummy, the man popped his head out over her shoulder. "What are you wielding? It's a katana-styled kendo word isn't it? I'm currently learning how to use it, too. You have a lot more experience with it than I do right? Can you teach me? I'll call you sensei," he said in one breath without pause.

Lyn turned around. Her face was covered by her hair, but the atmosphere around her was obviously menacing. "You're, so, ANNOYING!" she shrieked as she swung the wooden sword down on Ike's skull.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" he shrilled in a high-pitched voice.

"I'm done for today," Lyn announced and stormed back to the doorway to the Samsh Mansion.

* * *

Marth put on his shoes and headed out. It was his daily routine to take a walk every morning. he took a few steps and tripped with a little yelp. he looked back at his feet; one of his shoes were untied. he sighed and tied the two laces together. Then he looked up when he heard approaching footsteps.

"Ah, Lyn-san! Good morning!"

The woman gave no reply and only stomped past him.

The prince cocked his head to one side and placed his hands on his hips. "I wonder what's with her?"

He strolled doen to the swordplay training grounds. To his surprise, he found Ike on the dusty ground with a little fountain of blood shooting out from his head.

"Ike, are you okay!"  
The fallen man weakly gave him a thumbs up. "I'm fine. I'm just... sleeping."

"Shouldn't you use the bed? It's a lot more comfortable."

"Please leave. I want to inhale the aromatic scents of true love for a little longer."

"?"

* * *

Marth was at the doorsteps of the Smash Mansion. "I'm home," he called out.

Samus slid the wooden door open. "Marth-oniisan! Good morning!"

"Oh, good morning Samus."  
"Can you do me a favour?"

"Sure."

"Can you go on a walk with me?"

"Actually, I just took one and came back."

"Pleeasse?"

"I'm really, sorry, but I have to get ready for the match today. Maybe you can ask Snake-kun. I know he'll be more than willing to."

"He gives me the creeps. And I need a proper bodyguard to escort me."

"...I think you're more capable of defending yourself than I am."

"No I'm not! I'm just a defenceless little girl!"

"I _really_ should get going-"

"No!" she said as she forcefully pulled him along.

"Someone save meeeee!" His voice faded out as they moved farther away from the mansion.

* * *

"I just can't _stand_ him!" she yelled to herself as she restlessly paced around the room. "He's always popping up from out of nowhere. Always talking like he's never done any wrong to me. Aughhhhh!"

Then a lightbulb went off in her head. "I know how I can relieve my stress." She opened her closet and pulled out a dusty cardboard box. Lyn yanked up a poodle-sized Chibi-Ike doll. Peach gave it to her as a birthday present, which Lyn said she hated. That made Peach cry. She shook the memory out of her head, and Tied the doll to a pole as if to execute it. Picking up her kendo sword, she beat the doll without mercy. "Stupid, annoying, perverted, Ike!" she cried out between swings. after a few minutes the doll was now tattered. Panting heavily, Lyn rested the sword against the wall and slumped onto her bed.

"Why do I get so angry because of him?" she asked herself.

How was it? Please leave your comments! I'll update ASAP so keep an eye out for more chapters!

R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

New chapter! Please R&R!

"Itadakimasu!" the Smashers said and began eating their huge breakfast.

"Geez, they're a pack of ravenous dogs, like always," Crazy Hand commented.

"Shut up," Snake said while he was still chewing the pieces of meat he had in his mouth. After he swallowed, he went on. "You make us work our asses off every day, so this is only a portion of our compensations." With that, he went back to his feast.

The Master Hand entered the room. "Good morning, everyone!" he called out cheerfully.

"Good morning!" everyone called back dully like a classroom of bored elementary school children.

"You all know about the Cherry Blossom Festival today, right?"

"Yes," they replied with equal enthusiasm as their last answer. Only Ike seemed confused.

"What are you talking about? No one told me about that," the man said.

"Lyn-san was supposed to give everyone the notices; you should have gotten one."

"Oh, that explains everything," Diddy Kong said aloud.

"Why's that?" Master Hand questioned, obviously baffled.

"She hates him," Peach interjected in a jolly tone with much emphasis on "hate".

Master Hand let out a sigh and asked, "Lyn-san, where is Ike-kun's invitation?"

"Gone for good," she informed bluntly.

"_What_!" the Master Hand exploded. "This is just great. Now I'll have to print another one of those again!"

He went right up to the woman's face and asked, "You know what that means, don't you, Ly-san?"

"No."

"It means that I'll have to use the printer's ink again! What a waste! Soon enough, I'm going to have to go to the store again and buy a new ink cartilage! That means that I'll have to use _money_!" he ranted.

_Isn't he filthy rich?_ Everyone thought in disbelief.

"Hey, Lyn. You should apologize to Ike," Roy said.

"Sorry. You were really irritating, so I stuffed it into the burnt it along with the firewood."

"Why do you always treat me like this?" Ike demanded to Lyn. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Nothing in particular..."

_Lyn's flashback...._

_Finally, I'm officially going to be a Smasher! I have to make sure that everything's perfect. I washed my outfit; I've combed my hair this morning to perfection for two hours. Nothing could go wrong! I had to call a Wire-Frame for assistance since I still haven't memorized all of the Smash Mansion yet. When we reached the doors to the audition room, my heart was racing. After taking a deep breath, I pushed the doors open. The Master Hand and Crazy Hand were already waiting for me. _

"_Lyn-san, you arrived early today," Crazy Hand said._

"_Well, I want to make a good impression-"_

"_Very good. You seem like a very dedicated person to this job; just the type of Smasher we want," the Master Hand complimented._

_My chest swelled with pride. Just when this day seemed to be my best, it became the worst. A small but forceful whirlwind appeared out of nowhere, and a warp circle appeared in the middle of it. A tall man emerged from it in an impressive kneeling position. He stood up as the wind cleared. He was a good head taller than me. He had somewhat spiky__ blue__ which was held up by a ragged headband. In one hand he held a golden two-handed sword. _

"_Sorry I'm late," he apologized sincerely. "I ran into some trouble on my way here."_

"_You are Ike, Greil's son, right?" Master Hand asked._

"_Yes, that's right."_

"_Please excuse us," the Master Hand said._

_The two giant hands turned from him and whispered to each other in a huddled position. Even though their conversation was supposed to be private, I heard every dreadful word of it._

"_So this is the great Ike, hmm?" Crazy Hand mused._

"_Sure is. He defeated the Black Knight and Ashnard singlehandedly," his brother informed._

"_Wow, pretty good for a beorc. Even his entrance was really flashy. This guy's even more impressive than Lyn-chan. Let's replace her with him."_

"_I don't know. We've already promised her the last spot, and do we really need another pretty boy?"_

"_Think about it. The fangirls are gonna go wild at this year's annual Smash Bros. Photo shoot! You'll make more dough than last year's-"_

"_Okay, you win."_

_This shocked me. It felt like I've been stabbed by a razor sharp dagger. I'm being_ replaced_! That bastard Ike probably heard this too._

_The hands turned back to Ike. The Master Hand cleared his throat. "Congratulations, Ike-kun! You are now officially a Smasher!"_

_He seemed surprised. "Don't I have to audition for it?" he asked quizzically. He was probably faking it._

"_There's no need. Let's skip all of that junk and get to the important part," Crazy Hand interrupted quickly._

"_Won't it be unfair for the other candidates?"Ike questioned._

"_No, this is one of our ways to choose new Smashers," Master Hand answered._

"_If you say so."_

"_We can talk about details tomorrow," Master Hand continued._

"_Of course."_

"_You must be tired. I'll call in one of the Wire-Frames to escort you to your room. B-7!"_

_The Female Wire-Frame that brought me here appeared from the doors and went over to the newcomer._

"_B-7 will help you with everything. Do you have any luggage?"_

"_No."_

"_Okay then; but if you need anything, B-7 will provide you with it."_

"_Thank you very much."_

_He spotted me when he turned to leave._

"_Oh, who's this?"_

"_She's also one of the candidates," Crazy Hand told him._

"_Is she now?" he said as he was keep staring at me. "I hope you make it to the rosters," he said and flashed a smile at me._

_Is this guy making fun of me? I felt my hands curling up into fists. _

"_See you later__," he concluded with another one of his teeth-whitener commercial smiles and left._

_Master Hand waited for the door to shut and then said, "I'm sorry, but there's been some slight confusion. You are going to have to be moved down to the position of an Assistant."_

_When those words reached my ears, I ran out of the auditorium, full of anger, sadness and shock. I somehow found my way to my room and sulked in there__ for a while. After some pondering, I felt a sly smile creep across my face. Someday, I'll get my revenge._

_End of flashback._

"You can't lie to us," Wolf said as he took another sip of his tea. "Everyone saw that flashback."

"What?! How's that possible?!"

"In this fanfic it is. You have to be careful about have flashback moments. It's open for anyone to see," Olimar advised.

"So, you have a grudge against Ike-oniisan because he took your spot?" Peach asked excitedly.

"I don't really care... about that," Lyn denied while she subconsciously put Ike in a constricting headlock.

"Lyn-san. Hey, Lyn-san!" Samus said. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Huh?"

Jigglypuff floated up to Lyn and hit her over the head with the Fan to make her regain her senses. Lyn released the man.

Ike wheezed, took beep breaths and announced, "I'll be in my room."

With that, he left.

* * *

"Uh... that was terrible," Ike said to himself as he massaged his damaged neck. He arrived at his room and entered, not forgetting to close the door behind him.

"I better finish replying to all the fanmails I have," he remarked and slumped onto his chair and wheeled himself to the computer. Just then, he heard someone knocking on the door.

"Come in," he called out wearily.

Marth, Link,Toon Link, Pit, Ness, Popo, and Lucas shuffled inside. Marth stuck his head out the door to check for any spies and gently shut the door.

"How's your throat?" Link whispered with a hint of amusement.

"I've had worse," the mercenary responded.

"Let's get on the topic, people," Marth whispered.

"Why are you all whispering?" Ike demanded.

"Shhhh! Not so loud!" Link hissed.

Ike lowered his voice. "Why are we all whispering?"

"This is a private meeting of the Smash Mansion's Handsome Men's Association and the Smash Mansion's Shota's Association," Pit explained.

The Smash Mansion's Handsome Men's association was a club that was founded by Ike as soon as he got comfortable in the Smash Mansion. Captain Falcon petitioned, but they turned him down, much to his dismay. The Smash Mansion's Shota's Association was another club Ike had created for all Shotas of the Mansion, although he pushed all of the credit and responsibility onto Popo.

"You seem to have a bad relationship with Lyn-oneesan, so we all want to pitch in and help you get along with her."

"I really think that's not necessary," Ike said as he turned back to his computer.

Marth grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around, forcing Ike to look at him in the eyes.

"Ike, we're your friends. We are going to help you in any way we can."

Ike's eyes were filled with tears. "You guys... I'm new to the Smash Mansion, but you guys already accepted me so quickly... I'm touched, really..."

"Like Marth said, we're your friends, and friends help each other through any situation," Link said.

"You guys are the greatest! Group hug!" Ike burst into tears and jumped at them with his arms outstretched.

"Come here, you!" Marth and Link, who were crying as much as Ike, cried out in unison followed suit with him.

Unfortunately for the Shotas, they were stuck between their three seniors.

_I'm surrounded by_ _a bunch of stupid onii-sans,_ Popo thought as the grip around him tightened.

After the hugs and tears, the boys took a seat in the room.

"We first have to talk about how you feel about Lyn," Popo stated.

"Why is that important?" Ike, Marth and Link blinked and asked all at once in a puzzled tone.

Popo leaned back in his chair and explained. "We have to know how deep Ike's affection for Lyn-oneesan is so that we will be able to calculate the steps that we need to make. In addition, it might be beneficial to Ike-oniisan's love life."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ike confessed in confusion.

Turning a little red, Popo pointed an accusing finger at him. "You have to stop flirting with different women! You have relationships with at least twenty people! You even hit on my sister a lot! It's time you start having a faithful relationship!"

"True," Link mused. "Ike dated almost all of his hot fangirls."

Ike chuckled like a chess master who had just tricked his opponent into an ingenious trap. "Popo-kun, telling me to stay loyal to one woman is like telling me to stick with one type of sword."

As soon as those words slipped out of his mouth, Nana came crashing down from the ceiling yelling, "Ike-oniisaaan! How dare you compare women with swords!"

"Na-chan?!"

The Ice Climber delivered a devastating axe-kick right before she landed, slamming Ike's face onto the table; thus, splitting it into two. Everyone jumped back in fear.

"N-Nana, I think you've overdone it," her twin stammered.

* * *

"Na-chan, how much did you hear?" Ike asked as he rubbed his head.

"All of it," Nana replied smugly, sitting in a cross-legged position with her arms folded across her chest.

"Why were you up there anyways?" Toon Link asked.

"It's pretty obvious that you guys were up to something when you rush to Ike-oniisan's room in such a big group."

"You know enough of what's going on, so you can leave now," Popo said with a sigh as he started for the door.

"No! You're going to have to let me in on it," Nana pouted.

"Or what?" Link asked.

"I'll tell Lyn-oneesan about this," she smirked.

_Damn it, she's got us,_ the Hylian thought.

"Fine, just don't tell anyone," Popo grunted.

"Pro-mise," his sister said with a wink.

Pit turned to Ike. "Oniisan, how much do you like Lyn-oneesan?"

Ike blushed a bit. "Well, let's see... she has a cute face, a good smile, and nice curves too..." he brooded, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Perverted onii-san."

"It's just my taste in women," he said defiantly.

"Then why did you hit on my sister? She's totally flat-chested with no appealing curves-"

"WHAAT?!" Nana thundered.

"Nothing, I didn't say anything," Popo whimpered.

"Don't expect any mercy this time," his sister snarled as she took earth-shaking steps towards him.

While Popo was being demolished, the others continued with their conversation.

"How are we going to make Lyn-oneesan like you even as a friend? Your number one on her 'who to kill' list," Pit said.

"This is like trying to mix oil and water," Marth speculated as he scratched his head.

Ike was getting another one of his dirty thoughts. "I'm probably the oil. I like being on top during..."

His friends slowly rotated their head to him. "Stop being perverted," they all said except for Lucas, who barely talked to anyone.

"Okay, okay. I'll be serious."

They pondered on the question and Nana rejoined them, dragging along her pummeled brother.

"What's with the atmosphere?" she asked cheerily.

"We're thinking about how make Lyn-oneesan like Ike-oniisan," Pit answered.

"Which is impossible," Link added.

Hesitantly, Lucas shyly raised a hand that was covered by coat sleeves that were longer than his arms. "Um, I have a suggestion," he almost murmured like a sheepish first-grader.

"It, _talks_," everyone gasped as they stared with shocked expressions.

"'_It'?_" Lucas said questionable.

Suddenly, everyone was talking all at once.

"Amazing. Lucas-san, you can talk?" Pit asked.

"Guys, let's hear out his idea," Nana suggested.

"Please, say some more," Ike requested as if he were a scientist observing a state-of-the-art robot.

"Ike, shut up."

"I thought you were mute. No offense." Link commented.

"GUUYYS!!"

Everything was silent. Lucas shrank his face back into his collar.

"Thank you," the Ice Climber said. "Now, let's hear Lucas' idea."

"Yes ma'am," everyone replied.

"Lucas, shoot."

After glancing from side to side like a lost puppy, he uttered, "Well... today, we have to go to the Cherry Blossom Festival today, so I thought that there would be a more romantic feeling..."

Ike placed his hands on the small boy's shoulders, startling him. "Lucas-dono, you're a genius. I'll forever be in your debt. If anyone is scaring you, I'll fix them up for you."

"Umm... you're scaring me right now, oniisan."

At once, Ike was huddled into a dark corner. "I'm... scary? Oh Lucas-dono, how can you be so cruel..."

"Onii-san, I'm sure Lucas didn't mean it," Popo reassured.

In the opposite corner, Lucas was also agonizing. "I knew it. Every time I open my mouth, I only hurt more people..."

"What?! Not you too!"

Nana went up to the man and lightly kicked him. "Hey, get up. You only have today to accomplish your mission."

"Why's that?" he asked as he wiped a tear.

"Because I have _this_," she answered demonically, waving a book in front of him. Ike's eyes grew wide.

"Th- that's my scrapbook..."

"What's that?" Link blinked curiously.

"Have a good look for yourself," Nana smirked as she tossed the book to the Hylian.

The boys except for the horror-stricken Ike crowded him as his flipped a page open. Dozens of vulgar photographs of the female Smashers flew out. Pit, Ness, and Lucas passed out immediately. Popo felled unconscious by a massive nosebleed. Marth and Link only gaped as a line of blood poured down their nose.

"Ike, where did you get these?" Marth asked, still stoned.

"Snake. I got a premium membership only for 2000 yen a month."

"Tell him that I'll sign up only if I get a discount," Link said.

"Me too," Marth piped up.

Link held a photo inches away from his nose. "This is so wrong. Zelda is a princess. Dammit! I can't look away!"

"Now I can never look at Samus as just a cute little girl anymore," Marth asserted as he struggled to drop the picture in his hand.

While Marth and Link were busy observing the pictures, Nana turned to Ike.

"Here's the deal: you get one kiss from Lyn and I'll give your book back. If you fail, then I show this to the girls."

"A kiss? That won't be too hard-"

"On the lips."

"Okay, that's a different story."

The Ice Climber quickly gathered every single photograph and crammed it into the scrapbook. She held her hand out to Ike. "Hand it over."

"Can't I keep just _one_?" the mercenary pleaded.

"No can do."

Ike reluctantly surrendered it.

"Oh, and by the way just out of curiosity, why isn't there even one picture of me?"

"Probably because you have no sex appeal," the three grumbled.

"Are you asking to _die_?"

"No, no, no! That's not it!"

"Too late," she crackled as she took out a Home-Run Bat.

"Wahhh!"

How was it? Please review! I'll try to update ASAP!


	3. Chapter 3

Snake took a drag from this cigarette, and looked over at Ike again. "You got punked by a little girl, huh?"

"We can't do anything about that now, but-"

"_We_?"

Ike nodded slowly, eyes wide. "Yeah. Once she shows 'the book' to the other girls, I'll also tell them about _your_ subscription."

The cigarette almost fell from his mouth, but quickly recovered defensively. "You don't have the guts."

"Try me," he countered as confidently as he could. It was never a good thing to mess with Snake.

The older man grimaced and flicked the dead butt away. "Fine. What do you need help with?"

* * *

"Too slow!"

Marth spun around Roy's lunge and kicked him in the back and sighed in annoyance. "I told you, you need to retract your attacks faster. They leave you wide open."

"Easier said than done," the general grumbled and rubbed his lower back. "Ohh! Ike's kissing Lyn!"

"Where!" Marth swiveled his head to the direction Roy pointed him, giving the redhead enough time to chuck a Bob-bomb at him, getting an easy KO.

"Outplayed, son!"

After they changed, the two swordsmen exited the training facility, bickering about the outcome.

"That was low," the king growled as he wiped his sweat with a light blue towel.

"Haters gonna hate," Roy stated nonchalantly. "You never said we couldn't do that."

"This was to improve _your _fighting skills."

Roy shook his head in the same carefree manner. "You just got pwned by a beast."

Roy was like that really annoying little brother who always wanted to best his older siblings and glorify their victories.

"I'm gonna go play b-ball with Link now," Roy said and strutted away.

Grinding his teeth, Marth made his way to the kitchen to get a glass of water, and maybe some alcohol to assuage his burning anger.

He took out a glass cup from the cupboard and reached for the pitcher. His sixth sense could feel that he was being watched, which really creeped him out. Hesitantly, he turned around and almost flinched.

"Oh. Hey, Samus."

She stood there, smiling like there was nothing wrong in the world. No one else was around. This scene reminded Marth of a horror movie he watched a few weeks ago. And why was she in her Zero Suit? She never has that on around the mansion.

"Hey, Marth."

"Can I help you with something?"

She moved closer insidiously, or as Marth perceived it. Looked like a snake slithering in close enough to strike its prey. "Actually, there is."

She pointed to the highest shelf in the middle cupboard and asked, "All the flours' up there, right?"

However, the strange tone in her voice gave away she was definitely after something else. This made the king nervous.

_Is she possessed? Was she a serial killer all along? Or maybe she's a follower of some infernal cult and she's planning to sacrifice me?_

"Yeah. What's the occasion?"

"Ohhhh, you know; since the Cherry Blossom Festival is coming up and all, so the girls decided to make some rice cakes for it."

"Oh, okay," he said, feeling only a tiny bit safer. "Well, good luck."

Her eyes seemed to bore into his soul as she gave him a small nod, still with the creepy smile plastered on her face. Marth uncomfortably shifted over and poured himself a cup of water. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Samus simply stuck her arms up to try and grab a bag of flour.

With the same unnerving smile, she slowly turned to him.

_Oh gods. _

"Marth, can you reach it for me?"

"Ummmm, sure," he answered uneasily and she automatically stepped back to give him room, scaring him even more.

"I'll just stay right behind you."

Not even his rabid fangirls were this creepy. This felt evil creepy.

"It's a good thing that there are strong, tall men in this mansion to help out."

"Haha," he laughed nervously. "I'm not so sure about the strong part."

He stood where Samus was a few seconds ago and looked up at the sacks of flours, trying hard not to notice her gaze directly behind him.

_Oh god, oh gods. Is this the part when she skewers me with a knife from the back?_

_Wait, were those flour sacks pushed back, or am I just going mad?_

Samus was 5'10 and Marth was 6'0, and on his judgment, she could have reached it on her tippy toes. Did she really push the flour back?

He stretched his arm up and groped for a sack, but found out they were pushed back further than he had thought. He reached up and managed to grab one and handed it to her in relief. "There. Happy cooking."

He started to powerwalk walk away when she said, "Wait."

Slowly, he turned around. "Yes?"

"You forgot your water."

"Ha ha. You're right. I'm so forgetful these days," he tried to say as relaxed as possible and gingerly picked up the cup. _Did she pour some sort of horrible poison in this?_

Samus examined the flour bag. "Sorry to bother you again Marth, but you grabbed the wrong one. I need rice flour."

_I NEED TO GET OUTTA HERE~!_ his mind screamed

"So sorry I can't help you right now," h said quickly and pointed to the stool. "You can use that to reach the shelf."

"Oh, how convenient," Samus remarked a little absently as she picked up the woodwork. Suddenly, she snapped it in two as if it were a twig, making Marth's brain shriek in horror. "Whoops, my hand slipped. I _really _need your help now."

Marth's brain: I _really _need your help now = come here if you value your life

"Ummmm, okay. I can kneel down and you can use my back as leverage."

"I think it'll be easier if you lift me up," she suggested, still maintaining the frightening countenance.

"Let's just try my idea," he almost ordered in desperation. Samus seemed to be slightly startled, but reverted to back to the unnatural demeanor.

"Okay. But it _definitely_ won't work."

He didn't like the sound of that, but now with no choice, he went down on his hands and knees in front of the cupboard. The bounty hunter stepped onto him, digging her heels into the back of his ribcage with every step. He stifled a cry of pain.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Just please hurry up," he answered politely, enduring the pain.

As Samus murmured to herself about where the rice flour was, she continued to twist her foot harder into his back. At last, he collapsed while Samus gracefully hopped off just in time.

"Marth! Are you okay?"

"Why were you digging your feet into my back?!" he demanded as he got up.

Samus put on a hurt expression and explained, "Sorry. I was trying to balance myself. I didn't know I was hurting you."

_What is this woman up to?_

"I think lifting me up is a better idea," she put in, now with the same creepy expression on her face. "Please?"

Marth hesitantly positioned himself next to her and lowered a cupped hand.

She chuckled. "Get behind me."

Confused, he cautiously complied.

"Come one. Don't be shy," she said and pulled his hands onto her hips.

_Oh gods, child-bearing hips is an understatement. Snap out of it Marth, she's still acting suspicious! This is the one time that I need to stop thinking like a man!_

"What are you waiting for? Lift me up."

_Doesn't _this_ take more effort?_

The king tried to lift her, only to figure out that she was tensing up, making his job 10 times more difficult.

"Can't you relax a bit?" he inquired while straining against the weight.

"I can't help it, having a man's hands around my hips and all."

"That's why you shouldn't have broken the stool," he grunted as he finally lifted her off the ground.

Samus rummaged through the contents on the shelf. From below, Marth's vision was limited, but he was sure that she was stalling.

_Her ass is right in front of me! No! Marth, control yourself! Deep breaths, empty your mind…_

"Wait, did you just shiver?" he asked incredulously.

"It's just that you have such a _strong_ grip around me."

_This might turn out to be a good thing. What the hell are you talking about? She's just waiting for the right moment to strike!_

"Right here!" Samus said triumphantly as she picked out the rice flour.

_Strange word choice…._

Purposely, she pressed her weight down with all her might, causing to Marth fall over. She landed right below his solar plexus with a yelp, while Marth gasped for breath. He almost forcefully pushed her off, trying to catch his breath.

"It's a good thing that I came out on top," Samus commented as she dusted herself off. "Anyways, thanks for helping out!"

She walked out the kitchen, leaving the king to recover by himself. He pulled himself up, wondering quietly, "Why is she acting so weird all of a sudden."

He expected to be angry at her, but strangely, he wasn't.

* * *

Ike had left him with a difficult task. Not impossible, but fighting Metal Gears was easier than this.

Deep in thought, Snake turned on his radio feed to distract himself. During the first few days at the Smash Mansion, he had bugged the whole building, now getting all sorts of info through his radio.

"Get behind me."

_What?_

His mind went blank. That was Samus's voice. It was a bit muffled, but it was hers.

"Come on. Don't be shy."

Where was this going to? Shy about what?

"What are you waiting for? Lift me up."

_Am I hearing this wrong?_

Grunts. A man was grunting. Even Solid Snake couldn't acknowledge this information fast enough.

After some more sound of effort, the man asked, "Can't you relax a bit?"

Marth. That rich, pretty boy bastard. Snake respected him for his skills in battle and strategy and sympathized with him for his losses. But this was a totally different story.

"I can't help it, having a man's hands around my hips and all."

Snake gripped the radio with all his might, grinding his teeth in fury. This can't be happening. Out of all the men, why him? He _must_ be stopped.

Still holding the small, portable radio in a vice grip, Snake ran out of his room. One part of him wanted to stop this madness, while the other didn't and wanted to listen to it till the very end. It was his rage vs his raging libido.

"Wait, did you just shiver?"

"It's just that you have such a _strong_ grip around me."

_Curses. Damn you, Marth._

"Right here!"

"No!" Snake cried out involuntarily.

Is that the sound of something falling or being knocked over? A female yelp and then someone gasping.

_I'm too late!_

"It's a good thing that I came out on top. Anyways, thanks for helping out!"

"_Helping out?" She could have just come to me!_

Snake stormed into the kitchen panting heavily, looking for any remnants. He was still here, rubbing his back. That son of a bitch.

"Marth," he growled menacingly, eyes red with rage. "You _knew_ I wanted her… and yet you still….."

"What?" he asked, unsure of the mercenary's anger.

"Don't play dumb with me," he seethed as he stepped closer and closer. "You think you're the shit just 'cause you're some palace brat; you think you can fuck whoever you want, don't you?"

Then it came to him. _That bitch set me up._

"Wait, Snake-kun. Nothing happened. She's fooled us all along-"

"Bullshit! I've bugged _every_ room in this mansion so you don't have to explain shit to me! I _know _what happened."

"All according to plan," a new voice purred.

Snake turned around. "Samus! I thought-"

"I thought you were smarter than that," she remarked with a hint of disdain. "I guess IQ doesn't mean anything after all."

Then it dawned to him as well. "Ohhhh, shit," he growled and facepalmed.

Princess Peach, Princess Zelda, and Nana stepped out of the shadows.

"I knew something was fishy," Nana stated triumphantly.

"By the jurisdiction of the Female Smashers League, we hereby sentence you to ten weeks of garbage duty," Zelda announced.

"The what?" Marth and Snake said at the same time.

"Would you like some tea before your sentence?" Peach offered sweetly as she held up a teacup on a small tray. "It's not poisoned."

"Peach, you just gave everything away!" Samus scolded her friend.

"Whoops. Silly me," Peach giggled.

Snake now looked at the ditsy princess with newfound caution. "Since when did Smashers have the right to punish people?"

"Well, we're not really working in the boundaries of the law," Peach confessed giddily. "You head would look lovely on a pike!"

"Peach!" the bounty hunter barked.

"The bugs are only for security reasons," Snake argued calmly, but with an edge in his tone.

"It's an infringement of privacy," Zelda objected. "We'll know if you've been using them for private interests once we interrogate you."

"You gotta catch me first," he smirked and activated his camo.

"Bar all the exits!" Samus ordered. "He couldn't have gotten far."

The girls went to work, jamming the doorways, closing the windows, and guarding the exits of the kitchen.

Samus activated her Power Suit, letting the Chozo alloy materialize around her body. Using the built in infrared, she spotted Snake hop over Nana and make a run for it.

"That way!"

"I heard him too!" Nana claimed and ran in the pointed direction with her mallet.

"I have a lock on him!" Zelda informed as she tracked him through her magic.

Before Samus could follow her fellow FSL members, Marth pulled her back by the shoulder. Now in her armor, she should at his height, impatiently waiting for him to say something.

"What?"

"Was everything planned out? What happened in the kitchen."

"Pretty much. If that's all you want to ask-"

"I can't believe you just used me like that!"

"Look. If you want an apology-"

"I tried to be nice, and you just used me as bait?!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry for involving you in all this. Don't take it personally."

"That's not-"

"Grow some balls," she finished and sprinted off.

[space]

Ike paced back and forth in his room, mind racing faster than Sonic. Everytime an idea sparked in his mind, it was quickly shut down by a more logical voice in his head. Groaning in despair, he dropped to the floor and rolled around in frustration.

Suddenly, the door opened, making the mercenary freeze. Lyn was at the entrance staring at him blankly. After a long, awkward silence, she tossed an envelope onto the floor and shut the door.

Stumbling upright, Ike picked up the envelope and jogged after her.

"Hey! Lynn!" he called out.

Ignoring him, she quickened her pace.

With a sigh, he ran to catch up to her and then asked, "What's this for?"

"The Maser Hand made me deliver that to you," she answered, not even sparing him a glance.

"What's it for?" he went on, trying to keep up and start a conversation.

"Think of it," she snapped angrily.

Ike then realized what she meant. "Oh, ha ha!" he laughed stupidly. "That. Ummmm, I'm not mad at you for that or anything…"

"Hmph," she grunted and pushed past him.

"Lynn!" he called out from behind.

"WHAT?!" she screamed as she swiveled around, no longer wanting to be in 20 feet of him.

"I… really look forward to seeing you at the festival," he said conciliatorily.

"Well I don't want to see you," she growled darkly and headed outside.

She stomped out to the training fields, wanting to hit something bad. There, she found Marth hunched over on the ground, aimlessly pulling out handfuls of grass. He was the more sensible men in the Smash Mansion, usually kind and open. It was strange to see someone like him so crestfallen.

She sat beside him, slightly startling him.

"Ah. Lyn onee-san," he greeted with a fleeting smile.

"Why the long face?" she inquired gently.

He stopped his mindless actions and thought for a while. "Was there ever a time when your heart felt confused?"

She furrowed her brows. "Like you don't know what path to choose?"

"No, no. Like there's an overwhelming feeling of ambivalence about something… or someone."

Lynn grinned teasingly. "It's a girl, isn't it?"

"N-no-"

"Don't lie to me," she giggled and began to tickle him. "Come on. Who's the lucky girl?"

"I, can't, tell you," he managed to say in between laughs.

From the bushes far away, Ike poked the top part of his head out and glowered at the scene. "Damn you, Marth. Are you trying to sabotage me?"

Lynn gave up and crossed her arms. "Fine. If you don't want any help from one-san, keep it to yourself."

"Wait! I need advice," he exclaimed. "I need help."

With a satisfied grin, she looked into his eyes. "If you can't tell me who it is, you have to at least give me a description."

He pondered on it. "Well… she's the sporty type…."

Lynn raised an eyebrow with a smug smirk. "I didn't know you'd be into those types. Go on."

"Ummm… recently she's been manipulative…"

"Hmmm. So you like the dangerous ones. Does she stay at the Mansion?"

"No."

"You're lying."

"I-I'm not!"

"You froze up when I asked you if she's from the Mansion!" Lynn exclaimed, clearly enjoying this. Then she gasped, eyes going wide. "Gods. Is it-"

Before she could say more, Marth clamped a hand over her mouth and quickly looked around the area, face burning red.

The woman peeled his hand off of her, still grinning. "I would've never guessed. I thought you'd like someone more like Peach."

Mouth and eyes as round as O's, the king snapped his fingers. "I know! Me too!"

Lynn laughed at how ridiculous he sounded and punched him in the arm. "What do you mean 'me too?'"

Marth paraphrased the events that took place that day. Lynn listened keenly, nodding in approval.

"And the most messed up part is, I hate her for just using me like a tool, but at the same time I don't want to!"

"Are you sure you're just not after her body?"

"Well, it's… nice, but that's not it!" he answered, worked up in speaking his mind. "This is totally different. It's like there's a ghostly arm that's dragging me to her."

He seemed more worked up than Roy when he told his ghost stories, except there was a feeling of shock and mysticism around him.

"I feel like she could do whatever she wants to me, and I still won't be mad at her. Am I sick?"

"More like lovesick," she snickered.

"No puns!" he growled in anxiety. "This is serious! I could have some kind of infection, maybe a virus! I don't know!"

"Marth-"

"And the worst part is, I'm actually _worried_ that she doesn't feel the same about me!"

"Marth!" Lynn barked to free him from his rambling spree. "This is probably just an innocent crush you have on her. With time, it'll go away."

He moaned in agony and began to violently smash his head against the ground. "But I don't _want_ it to go away, even though I want it to!"

"Geez. Don't beat yourself up over it," Lynn cautioned and lifted his bleeding head. "Come on. Let's spar a little. We need to get some stress out of our systems."

She handed him a wooden sword and chose one for herself. "You ready."

The blunet seemed zombified, holding the weapon up in a flimsy grip. He merely shrugged as a reply.

"Here I come!"

The swordswoman lunged at him and deliberately swung at his sword, hoping to make him tighten his grip. His sword was knocked backwards into his face with a loud *SMACK*. He fell like a rag doll, blood spurting from his already injured head and now his nose.

"Ow."

"My gods! Marth, are you okay?" Lynn cried out and rushed to him to check on him.

Marth clutched his face and groaned," My face…."

"Why was your grip so weak?" she demanded as she stopped the bloody nose with a handkerchief from her pocket.

"I have no strength in my limbs," he droned wretchedly.

The woman shook her head in pity. "This won't do. Do you know the room beside the auditorium?"

"The one that's always empty?"

"Yup. The girls are planning to cook rice cakes there for the festival. You'll be there to help us out."

"What will that-?"

"You know how to make rice cakes, don't you?"

He was still baffled by this idea. "Yeah. You grind up rice, steam it with lots of water…. I don't remember the rest. I still don't understand what this is supposed to accomplish."

Lynn rolled her eyes in irritation. "Don't you see? It's a great time for you to get close to _her_."

Marth nodded thoughtfully, although clouded by doubt. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for this."

"It's all up to you," she reminded with a shrug. "Be there by 3."

Lynn pinched his cheek and walked back to the mansion. Ike retracted his head behind the bushes just in time.

Once the coast was clear, the mercenary jumped out of the bush and ran at Marth.

"Ike-kun?"

Ike grabbed him by the collar and shook him around viciously. "What did you say to her? She's pinching your cheek and everything! Do you _want_ me to be ruined?!"

"W-wait, this is all a misunderstanding-"

"Forget it! Let's both die today!" he roared as he crashed their heads together in swift repetition, reopening Marth's bleeding forehead.

Some of the blood splashed into Ike's eye, making him stumble back and exclaim, "Aughhh! Not fair; you blinded me!"

"Actually Ike-kun-"

"I can still sense you with the same technique from when I learned Counter!" the mercenary interrupted and tried to dash in one direction, only to trip over a rock and fall on his face.

"Ike! Just listen to what I have to say," Marth shouted in annoyance.

* * *

"I see. So who's the girl?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Fine, fine," he said, putting his hands up in surrender. "I don't know why Lynn invited you to that, but you should go."

Marth was glad he didn't tell Ike the full story. "Why?"

Ike gave him a conspiring grin. "It's a perfect opportunity to ask Lynn about what she likes, and you might even be able to tell her about some of my good qualities, you know, to soften her up."

"But-"

"Can you do this as a favor?" Ike pleaded, looking earnestly into his eyes. "I don't have much time left."

Marth sighed in resignation. "Okay, I'll go. But don't expect any big changes from Lynn."

"Thank you, Marth! I owe you big time!" Ike exhaled in relief, vigorously shaking his hand. "I'll never forget this!"

The king attempted to wrench his hand out of the indebted man's grip. "Don't mention it. That's what friends are for, right?"

Ike's eyes welled up with tears. "You're such a good guy! Boo hoo hoo hoo."

Marth awkwardly patted his back to console him. _Why do I feel like a double agent?_

[space]

Marth took a deep breath as he stood in front of the double doors. This was the room Lynn was talking about. It was used as the orientation room when the Smashers arrived, but untouched after that.

Without another thought, he knocked on the door, apprehensive of what might happen next.

The door creaked open and Lynn's head poked out. "Good timing, Marth! We just started making the rice cakes. Come in."

A little hesitantly, he entered. Four long, foldable tables were set up in the middle of the room. On the tables were portable stoves, pitchers of water, pots, metal streamers, paper towels, sweet rice flour, and other ingredients.

Some of the girls were already making dango-styled rice cakes by mixing the sweet rice flour with the silken tofu and water.

"Work with me," Lynn said and lead him over to her table. "You can wash your hands in the restroom over there."

Marth earned suspicious looks from Nana and Samus as he walked to the restrooms.

"Why did you even invite him?" Samus demanded in a hushed voice, trying to discern any treachery on Lynn's face.

"I'm not so sure I trust him right now," Nana added, suspecting that Ike was up to something. "It sort of looks like he doesn't want to be here."

"Girls, he's just here to help us with the cooking," Lynn assured her friends. "He's probably just nervous around you guys, that's all."

"I'm not against the idea of him helping out, but keep a close eye on him," Zelda said.

In the restroom, Marth made a quick call to Ike. "I'm in."

"Nice work. I'll be listening, so make sure to have the ear bug on at all times."

"Roger that."

The blunet looked at himself in the mirror and exhaled. "You can do this, Marth. Just keep calm and act natural."

He had even cut his hair a little to not look so "girly." He washed his hands carefully as though he was washing blood off of them and took deep breaths to control his respiration.

He wiped his hands and joined the others, mission in mind.

The female Smashers conversed with each other as they worked while Marth kept silent.

"So, Marth. Did you get a trim?" Peach asked amiably, not wanting to make him feel left out.

"Oh… ummm, yeah," he answered almost abashedly.

"Looks good. I was thinking your hair was getting a bit too long."

"Ha ha, thanks."

"Where'd you get it done?"

"I.. did it myself."

"Really? Do you usually cut your own hair?"

"Actually, it was my first time."

"You've got some magic in those hands," the princess complimented.

"Marth, watch the pot," Lynn warned.

He rushed to remove the steaming pot from the stove onto a wooden chopping board. Once it cooled down a little, the blunet removed the metal streamer from the pot and laid the pizza-shaped rice cake down on the cutting board.

"Are you done with the red bean paste?" he asked Lynn.

"Just about," she replied and squished the last of the red beans in the mortar.

Marth pulled out a small piece of the sticky rice cake and stretched it out on his palm. Lynn gave him a spoonful of the paste, which he placed in the middle of the rice cake. He then folded in all the sides of the steamed treat until the red bean paste was completely covered. Marth coated it in flour before popping it into his mouth and chewed.

"How is it?" Lynn asked in anticipation.

He nodded in approval made another. "Try one. Say 'ahhh.'"

"Ahhhh."

He gently placed it in her mouth and waited for a reaction.

"Mmm! It's good," Lynn commented in between chewing.

"You got something there," Marth chuckled and wiped flour off her nose.

"Thanks," she giggled.

Samus scowled at the scene and strode over to their table. "Stop screwing around. We need to finish by 5. Did you even make those properly?"

Surprised at her hostility, they blinked dumbfounded. Marth held out an already-made rice cake.

Giving him an indiscernible glower, she took it and bit into it. "Why is it so sticky?!"

"T-that's why I covered it with flour," he stammered, heartbeat faster than normal.

"This can be a choking hazard," she snapped. "How do you expect the old people to eat this?"

"Well-"

"Make new ones!" she ordered and marched off to her table.

"Ja, mein furher," Lynn grumbled under her breath with a mock salute. "What's up with her?"

"She might just be having a bad day," Marth offered. _Now I'm _really _confused. She was never rude to me before. _

"Aren't you being too harsh?" Peach whispered to her friend.

"I don't trust him. It's our job to tell him that we mean business," the bounty hunter answered strictly while she continued her work.

"Ditto," Nana agreed. "He's good friends with Ike. Who knows what he's up to?"

Peach gave her a confused look. "Friends with Ike? Is that a bad thing?"

"It's just that Ike onii-san is scary sometimes," the Ice Climber interjected innocently, realizing that she had said too much.

"Now, instead of red bean paste, we use other things like pumpkins and Asteraceae for the color and different tastes. Instead of pouring it on top of the rice cake, we're supposed to mix it with the rice flour before we steam it."

"So that's why it's called 'rainbow rice cake,'" Lynn observed. "It seems harder to make."

"It takes more time, but it's not too hard."

The two worked steadily as they chatted about current events in their respective worlds.

"Marth, I think it's time you talk to her," she whispered conspiratorially.

"She seems too busy working. Maybe later."

"Hey, you two! Don't slack off," Samus barked.

"We're working as hard as everyone else," Lynn snapped back.

The bounty hunter scowled at the ingredients on the table. "Can't you make things like everyone else? What if we don't have enough?"

Lynn stepped closer to her. "Hey, just because Marth wants to make things a little differently doesn't mean that you can just tell him off like that."

"Lyn-" Marth began.

"And he's given up his own time to help us. Can't you be at least a _little_ grateful?"

"If he's going to help out, he should do it properly."

"He's doing a fine job, you dumb bimbo!"

"What did you just call me?!"

Before they could jump at each other, Marth and the other girls pulled them back.

"Get off of me! She's dead!"

"Did I hit a nerve, blonde bimbo?"

"Lynn onee-san, stop provoking her!" Marth exclaimed amidst the chaos as he pushed them apart.

In the struggle and flailing, Samus knocked up a bowl of anko beans and sweet sauce, which landed right on her head.

"I'm done with this!" she yelled and stormed out of the room.

Everyone became silent at the conclusion.

"Onee-san, you've went too far."

"Let's go back to work," Zelda said. "Samus will be alright."

Slowly, they returned to their work stations and finished their tasks silently. They arranged their finished treats on the wooden trays.

"Wow, Marth! Yours looks so pretty!" Peach praised as she marveled at the colorful rice cakes.

"It's nothing special, really."

"You've got to show me how to make it later!"

"Okay," he lightly laughed at her eagerness. "Later. May I excuse myself? I have to help out with the decorations soon."

"Of course," Zelda replied. "Thanks for helping us out. And sorry about Samus. She can be a little too cautious at times."

"It's fine. I'll see you guys at the festival."

"I'll go with you," Lynn said. "Master Hand needs me to oversee the tech crew anyways."

She closed the door behind them, leaving Peach, Zelda, Nana, and Jigglypuff in wonder.

"Are they, like, dating or something?" Peach wondered.

* * *

"Wait. So we didn't even need those invitations?"

"Yep," Lyn replied. "Master Hand just wanted them to seem like a privilege that he could take away. That way, he can make sure that everyone helps out."

Marth laughed out loud. "Wow. I can't believe everyone fell for that."

They walked a few more paces in silence, enjoying the cool breeze.

"Onee-san, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why do you hate Ike so much? I mean, he's not mean to you or anything."

"He's just plain annoying."

"Oh. He doesn't want to be enemies with you though."

"….."

"What's your ideal type?"

She gave him a curious look. "Why that all of a sudden?"

"Just curious," he answered as naturally as he could.

"Hmmmm. I think it would be someone like you."

"What?" _Uh-oh. Ike's hearing all of this. _"Why me?"

"Well, first of all, you're kind. And even though you're strong, you don't show it off."

"I'm… strong?"

"I know all the criticism you take. Even today from Samus. You just swallow it all with a smile."

"Ha ha. I suppose so."

"You're also really honest and loyal to your friends. But most of all, you're sensitive; not too sensitive, but enough to know someone's heart."

Marth almost shrunk back, reflecting on the deceit he was executing right now.

Lynn mistook this for modesty and slapped his back. "Come on. Show a little confidence. Most guys are so loud that they're obnoxious, but being so shy isn't always good either."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Oh, I have to go this way. Well, see you later."

"See you." He waved goodbye and walked on

"And Marth!" she called back.

"Yeah?"

"You're nice to look at, too!"

"Ummm, thanks. You're not hitting on me are you, one-san?"

She laughed at this. "Of course not! You're like a little brother I've never had!"

_That's how most Smashers look at each other: siblings. I just hope Samus doesn't think of me the same way._

Marth walked on past the outside training grounds and entered the front yard, where he saw someone dunking her hair into the large birdbath/fountain and mutter to herself.

"Samus?"

She glanced up with a cold gaze. "What? The sink wasn't enough."

She went back to roughly scrubbing her hair with shampoo, muttering, "What the hell's in that? This damn thing won't come off."

Marth cleared his throat. "Ummm, do you need any help?"

"No!" she snapped.

"You seem like you need help."

"Piss off."

"You have a lot of anko beans left in your hair."

"Why else do you think I'm doing this?!" she growled. "If you're just here to annoy me, go away."

Now the blunet was starting to get frustrated with her stubbornness. He squatted beside her and began to search through her hair for anko.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping."

"I told you; I don't _need_ any help."

"You don't have eyes on the back of your head."

Although she was still grumbling to herself, Samus didn't deny the assistance.

Marth worked for another minute before saying, "There, all done."

Samus wordlessly scrubbed the remains of sticky sauce from her scalp and brusquely started to dry her hair with a towel.

"Don't be so rough on your hair," Marth advised and gently pulled the towel from her hands and softly dried her hair as he brushed it with a comb.

When none of them said a word, he inquired, "I'm sorry about before. Lynn one-san shouldn't have called you a bimbo."

The bounty hunter snorted. "It's not like I've _asked_ to be born blonde."

"I think it's beautiful. I wish girls back home had hair like this."

They said no more until Marth finished. "I have to go now."

He stood up to leave.

"Thanks…. for helping me. And… sorry. I was a dick to you."

"It's fine," he replied carefreely. "Everyone has those days."

With a content heart, he walked into the mansion, noticing something: _I didn't drool in front of her or anything! I'm free! Maybe Lynn one-san was right! it was just a simple crush! I'm free~!_

He practically skipped out the hallway, earning strange looks from Falco and Metaknight, who were shuttling ornaments to the truck outside.

"Is he high or something?" Falco asked.

"Peculiar," the masked puffball mused. "I acted the same way when I dumped my ex."

"I haven't heard of Marth dating lately- Wait! **You** had a **girlfriend**?!"


End file.
